Thought of the Day - August 11 - History Repeats Itself

Back in March, I talked a little about what could be learned from the so-called "Spanish Flu" from over a hundred years ago (https://clifffraser0.wixsite.com/covid-19/post/thought-of-the-day-wear-a-mask). I say "so-called" as the first recorded outbreak was at a military base in Kansas. It was known as the Spanish flu as Spain, being neutral in WWI, had no media blackout and thus was the first to report it around the world.

The Spanish flu ushered in a new era in the history of face masks in the USA. Mask-wearing rules first came up in the Western states. By the end of the fall of 1918, seven US cities had come up with mandatory mask laws including San Francisco, Seattle, Oakland, Sacramento, Denver, Indianapolis and Pasadena. San Francisco was at the forefront of the mask laws. The ‘mask ordinance’ of October 22, made San Francisco the first city mandating the use of face masks which had four layers. The city was soon referred to as the ‘masked city’.

As in 2020, the ordinance to wear masks in 1918 also saw firm resistance from a number of Americans. Consequently, violators of mask laws were fined $5 or $10, or were put under 10 days of imprisonment.

There were also those who claimed that the masks were detrimental to their safety. An anecdote from a mechanic at Tucson, Arizona, who admitted to not wearing a mask, claimed: “it was not safe to do so, as it would have interfered with his vision and rendered himself liable to injury from the machine.”

In Santa Barbara, California, a physician, Dr. J. Clifford responded, He was arrested for stating that he did not believe in using the mask since it did not do anything to control the spread of the epidemic. A self-styled ‘anti-mask’ league was created; some say that the league was more politically motivated than medically.

A century later, when San Francisco mayor, London Breed ordered the city’s residents to “wear face coverings in essential businesses, in public facilities, on transit and while performing essential work,” a heated debate ensued once again on the efficacy and feasibility of masks.

As the saying goes: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - George Santayana.

Cheers

Cliff